John 8:32

The Epistle to the Galatians

The Epistle to the Galatians is a letter from Paul of
Tarsus to a number of early Christian communities in the
Roman province of Galatia in central Anatolia. It is
principally concerned with the controversy surrounding
Gentile Christians and the Mosaic Law within Early
Christianity. Along with the Epistle to the Romans, it
is the most theologically significant of the Pauline
epistles, and has been particularly influential in
Protestant thought.

Paul's letter is addressed "to the churches in Galatia."
The main theme was that the people of Galatia have
turned away from God's word. The churches of Galatia
(Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe) were
founded by Paul himself (Acts 16:6; Gal 1:8; 4:13,
4:19). They seem to have been composed mainly of
converts from paganism (4:8). After Paul's departure,
the churches were led astray from Paul's Christ centered
teachings by individuals proposing "another gospel"
(which centered around Judaism and salvation through the
Mosaic Law), whom Paul saw as preaching a "different
gospel" than that of Jesus Christ (which was centered
around salvation by God's grace and Christ's atonement,
not the "works" of the Mosiac law). (1:6–9). The
Galatians appear to have been receptive to the teaching
of these newcomers, and the epistle is Paul's angry
response to what he sees as their willingness to turn
from his teaching.

The identity of these "opponents" is disputed. We do not
have a record of their activity, but are left to
reconstruct it from Paul's response. However, the
majority of modern scholars view them as Jewish
Christians (i.e. Judaizers), who taught that in order
for pagans to belong to the people of God, they must be
subject to some or all of the Jewish Law. The letter
indicates controversy concerning circumcision, Sabbath
observance, and the Mosaic Law. It would appear, from
Paul's response, that they cited the example of Abraham,
who was circumcised as a mark of receiving the covenant
blessings (Genesis 17). They certainly appear to have
questioned Paul's authority as an apostle, perhaps
appealing to the greater authority of the Jerusalem
church governed by James the Just. It appears the
teachers made some headway among Paul's converts.
Sociological research has suggested that converts from
dominant paganism may have suffered a "loss of
identity", and found the clarity offered by a Jewish
identity and a law-observant lifestyle attractive. Paul
responds angrily. He rehearses his conversion and
apostolic credentials, records his relationship with the
Jerusalem Church, and engages in an argument over the
interpretation of the Abraham story.